


Sidestep can't sleep.

by UnadulteratedFanfiction



Category: Fallen Hero Series - Malin Rydén, Fallen Hero: Rebirth (Video Game)
Genre: First Meetings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21598066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnadulteratedFanfiction/pseuds/UnadulteratedFanfiction
Summary: Sidestep meets Ortega for the first time and gets involved in the hero business for the most stupid reasons imaginable. This is a lighter series, less dramatic than most. Also, Sidestep is very young and naive. It’s still Sidestep, just he’s not been pushed into the grinder yet.
Relationships: Ortega/Sidestep (Fallen Hero)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. The villain in apartment 23.

You try to cover your ears from the noise upstairs. It’s useless. And that’s not the worst part… the trail of thought he emanates is just toxic.

You like sleeping. It’s a way to disconnect from reality and let time pass when there’s nothing to do.

And no one to tell you what to do, or send you on some horrible mission, or punish you, or have you participate in more “Experiments”…

It’s one of the little things that you’ve learned to enjoy.

You lie down and don’t stand up until you're hungry or need to use the toilet.  
It’s a form of freedom. And rebellion. You shudder at the word. Rebellion.

But you can’t sleep with all that ruckus!

You focus your thoughts on him once more…

Hatred. Arrogance. Need for revenge. A hunger for money and wealth. The need to be someone, to be seen. To make them be so afraid of him, to make them pay for some imaginary slight.

You push the pillow harder. But then he starts with the drill again.

Fuck.

He’s preparing his suit for another robbery. A Jewelry store this time.

What can you do about this?

Kill him.

No. That’s what they would tell you to do, and you don’t want to have anything to do with their way of doing things.

Maybe you can just go to the jewelry store yourself, have then given you all the money, and leave it by his door… then he would have no need for the suit?

No… that’s not it. He would just need more. And more. He would spend his money on more technology.. weapons… he’s got a real workshop up there.  
He just likes terrorizing people, no two ways about it.

Maybe you can move.

But no. This is your place. Why would you need to move? You're tired of living on the streets. You found this old lady whose family stopped caring. And you took care of her

And she was grateful. You did her shopping, got her to her doctor’s appointments… everyone thought you were her grandson.  
Her mind was mostly gone when you found her, but you fixed what you could. You even had several conversations with her. Made her feel like a person again.  
You really liked her. And she thanked you.

And then you took her to the hospital one day, and the doctors said there was nothing anyone could do. So you stayed with her. Smiled at her. And she smiled back.  
She didn’t know all about you, but she knew more than anyone else you ever cared for.  
And then she died. And you felt terrible.

But she told you she wanted you to have her apartment. Of course, you are not the “Legal” owner, but she has no family. And you have even paid the most urgent bills.  
The tinny apartment is ruined, and the whole building might need to be demolished in a few years. The location is terrible too. But it’s YOURS. She gave it to YOU.

You shouldn’t be the one to move.  
No.  
You're going to fight for what’s yours.

He has to go. You WILL figure out how to get rid of him.  
Somehow.


	2. Ortega's week of hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sidestep needs his sleep, and will stop at nothing to get it.

Monday.

Your hiding spot reeks so badly… and you’ve been here for half an hour longer than you expected. You want to get out. But you're determined to follow through with this. Your life, your sleep, and your sanity are at stake. This far, no further.

He’s late. Why? Did something happen? You curse your luck that you can’t read his mind. It’s unusual, but hardly your first time. Your trainers gave you a very long list of reasons why your telepathy might not work. You haven’t yet figured what’s the correct checkbox for this one.

Oh. And there he is. 

You see his car turning the corner, then stopping at the street light. You’ve timed this. He HAS to stop at the street light, it’s just how the sequence goes. 

OK. It’s now or never. You are ready.

You bolt upwards pushing the lid of the dumpster open, and hop off onto the pavement, then start a fast sprint. You’ve only got a few seconds…. 

You see him rocking his head lightly. He must be listening to music on the radio.

You focus all your training… your anger… your force of will… your sleepless nights… all of it goes into the flying brick.

“CRASH!” The glass explodes as the brick goes trough the back row’s left window. 

“Hey what the gives?!" 

He stops the engine and the driver’s door opens. He gets off and looks at the damage, then at you. But he can’t see your face.

You'r covered in mountain wear. A red snowboarding jacket, mirrored green goggles, blue gloves, black boots, yellow pants, and a white balaclava. 

They never let you wear colors back at the farm. You like colors.

"What the fuck did you do to my car…? Hey... Hey, I’m talking to you!” he keeps yelling as you start to sprint again “Hey! ”

He chases you. You know he’s definitely stronger, but you're faster. And you have an escape plan. You focus your mind and make the bus driver stop and open the door at the precise moment. 

You hop in… and it drives away at full speed. You can see him swearing at you in the distance. He knows some colorful words. Actually breaks a smile from you.

Hopefully he will find the note tied to the brick.

“Mr. Molotov will rob Kyffany’s jewelry store at Wilfire Bvd. and Romeo street today between 6 and 8 pm.” Written in letters you cut from magazines and newspapers. 

….. later that night. ……

You watch the news on the old tv.

“Good evening! My Name is Mia Ochoa, here live in Los Diablos! We are currently with Charge, Marshal of the Rangers, who just frustrated Mr. Molotov’s last heist. The Villain is still at large, but his plan was foiled when Charge….” *click* You turn the Tv off.

“FUCK!” He didn’t catch him?!?!

Not 20 minutes later you hear the door slam upstairs. You can sense his mind. He’s furious. Humiliated. He doesn’t waste time and turns on the drill again. And he starts hammering more metal pieces… he’s going to work all night on his suit… No more sleeping for you. Fuck.

Tuesday.

“CRASH!”

“NOT AGAIN! YOU! STAY RIGHT THERE! DON’T YOU RUN COWARD!”

“Mr. Molotov escaped once more on a stolen car after Charge foiled his plot to rob the bank this morning...” *click*

Wednesday.

“CRASH” 

“THAT BELONGED TO MY GRANDFATHER! I'M GONNA GET YOU FOR THIS!”

“Charge seems to be always one step ahead of the Villain, who barely managed to elude the police after he being beaten repeatedly by the hero.” *click*

Thursday.

“CRASH”

“NO… No-no-no… this isn’t happening… WHY! Hey, why... why won’t you speak to me?”

“ Witnesses say he dived into a truck carrying manure that just passed under the high road, and that when he got off, one of his bombs detonated causing an explosion of sh… .” *click*

Friday.

“THUNK” Woops.. you missed

“OOOOW! My arm..!”

“Villain was humiliated by Charge once more, but he still wasn’t…” *click*

Saturday

“SPLASH”

“You little bastard! Is this fun for you? Huh? Yeah, you have nothing to say? Yeah.. just run away like you always do…!” You escape as he yells from inside his swimming pool.

“Villain fell three stories to escape Charge who had fought him to a standstill…” *click*

Sunday

You raise your hand… take aim … and… what? Someone holds your arm.

You turn in a swift movement… It’s Charge… he sneaked up behind you.

“Will you please… stop?” he pleads.

You look at him through your googles. Then you look at your brick.

He lets go of your arm.

You offer him the brick.

He studies you for a few seconds, and finally smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Fanfics: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero
> 
> DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.


	3. Sidekick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conclusion of the series. Enjoy!

“So you’re saying Mr. Molotov will be here at 7:00 pm?”

You just nod. You’re not interested in dialogue.

“Where do you keep getting all this intel on him?”

You shrug. Which basically means find out by yourself genius.

He groans. “Come on!!.. I’m the one fighting him every single night!”

You do the yapping hand at him in reply.

“All you’re doing is flinging bricks at my car, my glass table, my windows, my pool…”

You take a mental note that maybe flinging notes attached to bricks might be a bit too aggressive. Still, he knows If you weren’t giving him leads Mr. Molotov would have robbed half the city by now.

“Where the heck is that attitude coming from ?” He crosses his arms “Whatever did I do to you?”

You poke his chest with your index, then point at the last sentence in your note “YOU HAVE TO CAPTURE MR. MOLOTOV THIS TIME!!!” IT took you a while to find three exclamation marks big enough for your note on the newspapers. You wanted for him to notice your urgency. It’s impossible to sleep with Mr. Molotov’s workshop above your apartment. You can’t stand another night of him banging and drilling and welding to fix his armor…

“Yeah, I know I’ve yet to capture him, but WHY can’t we cooperate like normal people?”  
You roll your eyes. He doesn’t notice of course.  
You sigh, take off your goggles, and then roll your eyes for him to see.

He crosses his arms, giving you an annoyed look. “Raised In a barn I see.” You scoff. It wasn’t a barn.

“And what’s with the outfit?“ You hug your red jacket defensively. You love your new colored mountain wear. I took you a long while to buy it. All of your meager savings really.

"Nevermind… pendejo,” he says in a foul mood.

You just sit. But not three minutes pass before he speaks again. Can’t stand the fact that you’re not adoring him like everyone else, can he?…

“Look kid.. Just tell me, since you know so much about him… how’s he surviving all the beatings? I’ve beaten him every time but I just can’t knock him down for good. THAT information would be actually helpful, you know instead of all the vandalism?” He glares at you accusingly.

You just look away and cross your arms. He goes back to pacing back and forth.  
Fuck. He’s actually right on that one. You’re just tempted to get up and leave.  
You love your apartment but maybe this isn’t worth it. Maybe it’s just too dangerous. You shouldn’t be talking to a deputized hero…

You look at him as he gazes onto the street.   
You hate to admit it. But you can’t deny you’re having fun.  
You’ve spent so much time alone you hadn’t realized just how starved for interaction you were. Any kind of interaction. Even if it’s just having this guy complain and complain and complain.

He turns gives you a confused expression as he catches you staring.

“Now what? Is there something in my face? Are you going to throw another brick at me?” he looks at you annoyed. The last rays of dawn show him under a different light. You realize he does not look like a blood-thirsty soldier, but a guy trying to stop criminals from harming people… And he’s done all this for a meager salary.

You can’t read his mind… It’s hard to know what he actually thinks. You wonder how he sees you. Maybe like a weirdo throwing stuff at him for no reason demanding he captures a relatively powerful villain and not even explaining why. It dawns onto you that maybe you are being a bit unreasonable… You look at him again. It gets a bit harder to hate him. Crap.

You take out your Balaclava and pull down the hoodie…

“You’re an idiot,” you say.   
“You can speak!” He says in shock  
“Shut it. I’ll tell you all you need to know about Mr. Molotov…”  
………………………………………………………….

39 minutes later….

Mr. Molotov shows up, heading to the building’s entrance wearing civilian clothing. 

As he looks for his keys, Charge runs up to him at full speed and slams him with his shoulder, electrical sparks flying everywhere as Molotov falls on his back. You knew facing him without his armor on would be the best way.

It takes a few seconds for the villain to realize what’s going on. He stands up and faces Charge, approaching him.

“How in the hell do you always know where I’m going to be Charge ?”

“Ohh I’ve got my ways. Do you think you’re so clever? Now I know your hiding place, there’s no way to escape, I’m bringing you down!”

“You and what army? Ha! You can’t even hurt me!” He takes a small rock from his pocket and throws it at Charge. That’s his power. Turning substances into other substances. And the moron uses it to make bombs, not rare metals and gems.   
Ortega takes the stone in mid-air and throws it back at Molotov. He has some nice reflexes with his mods… you take note of that.  
The rock explodes as it reaches Molotov, and he is knocked down but seems uninjured.

“Nice trick, but you can’t defeat me like that” He smiles, standing firm before Charge.

Charge presses on with the attack, and the two get engaged in a fistfight. Charge manages to get a lock on his neck. Mr. Molotov’s skin turns metallic.

“I’m invulnerable! I don’t even feel that! Hahaha!”

“Oh yeah? Well I have it from a good source that you can’t transform your own body for more than 10 seconds or it becomes permanent and you turn into a statue”

“Wha…? How do you…?”

Without letting go, Ortega begins emitting electricity. It doesn’t affect Mr. Molotov, but as more seconds pass, his struggle becomes more and more desperate. 

At the eight-second, Mr. Molotov’s skin turns back to normal, and he begins screaming as the electrical discharge knocks him down.

Charge lets him fall. “FINALLY! I’ve been waiting for this so long”

He approaches you. “Hey, You know. you’re a pain in the neck and all… but .. Thanks, I guess? I wouldn’t have caught this one without your…” He doesn’t notice Mr. Molotov struggling to move his right hand, and throwing another rock at his feet.

You act on impulse. You almost miss, but you manage to side-kick the rock as hard as you can… you don’t want to explode…  
(But why didn’t you just run the other way? You didn’t want him to explode either? Did you actually want to protect him?).

You look at the rock fly away with relief.. until suddenly….

“CRASH!”.

A broken window. You know that window. 

No. No this can’t be… this can’t. This can’t be happening…

“BOOOOOM!” The bomb explodes. You can see flames and smoke erupt out of the window instantly.

“Oh shit! Woah! … wow wow wow… you just saved my life kid!! Let me call 911… Wow… That’s just…. thanks, kid!” He starts calling the emergency line.

You just look in horror as the fire extends from one window to another. Nothing you can do while the firemen run a pressured water hose against it. 

“Oh..” He says standing by your side observing the firemen work. "That’s a lot of damage. Hey, can you tell me… hey, wait.. are you crying? Are you ok?“

You haven’t really ever cried before. There was no need. Things either happened or didn’t. And drugs or trainers and handlers would take care of anything in between. But now you can’t stop the river flowing from your eyes.

"Hey what’s wrong kid?”

“I’m.. not … a kid. And .. Tha…*sob* that… was my… *sniff* apartment.” You manage to speak a few broken words. Now your nose is full of water too. And you’ve got hiccups. You are crying. For real. It’s not an act like they trained you.  
And with good reason. That was your home and savings. Now you’ll have to go back to the streets.

“Oh, shit… uhh… Do you have a place to stay? Subsidies come fast when heroes are involved… I’ll say I kicked the rock, ok?”

You shake your head. “I was just renting” You mean squatting, of course. “And all my money was inside” That much is true. For a change.

“Crap.. sorry to hear that. You know, you can come with me… You can stay at my place tonight, and maybe I can help you find an apartment tomorrow …? Just let me talk to the police and I’ll get back to you.  
You nod. 

But you’re long gone by the time he comes back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Fanfics: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero
> 
> DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.

**Author's Note:**

> My Fanfics on Tumblr:  
> https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero
> 
> DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.


End file.
